More of my recent research work centers around human-animal relations. I have become more interested in investigating how individuals, groups, and institutions respond to change and how their actions influence management. Much of my current work has shifted to examine how transformations of a landscape and economy have led to new geographies of encounters between wildlife (large carnivores, crocodiles, snakes and herbivores) and communities, and the perspectives of people about human-wildlife interactions.
I believe ecologists should be equally committed to science education and public outreach beyond their research. I invest a lot of time in developing initiatives for engaging local communities, public participation, citizen science programs, and building collaborations and communication efforts around wildlife and conservation issues between different groups of people.
I have been a member of the SSC/IUCN – Crocodile Specialist Group since 2016.
I am a Conservation Biologist currently affiliated with the Voluntary Nature Conservancy, where I am engaged in the development and coordination of wildlife research and conservation projects. My academic background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from Sardar Patel University (2007) and a Master of Science degree from Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, India (2009).
Throughout my career, my primary focus has been on Population Biology, with a specific interest in the ecology and behavior of large predators and their conservation. Previously, I held the position of Research Biologist at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, where I was involved in the 'Tiger, Co-predator, Prey & Habitat Monitoring Project' from December 2009 to April 2010. In this role, I conducted population estimations of tigers, leopards, and other large carnivores, as well as assessments of herbivore density and habitat quality across various tiger reserves in India. Subsequently, I participated in the 'Reintroduction of Cheetah in India' project within the same institute from March 2011 to February 2012. My responsibilities included evaluating potential reintroduction sites for cheetahs, considering factors such as prey species abundance, habitat quality, anthropogenic disturbances, and the local community's attitudes in identified areas.
While my research interests span a broad taxonomic range, they all revolve around the fields of population ecology, spatial ecology, and human-wildlife interactions. Currently, my ongoing research projects involve identifying wolf-occupied areas in Gujarat to prioritize them for conservation efforts, monitoring the mugger crocodile population and their habitat in central Gujarat, assessing human-crocodile conflicts in Gujarat, and evaluating crop predation by herbivores in the Little Rann of Kutch.
While my research interests span a broad taxonomic range, they all revolve around the fields of population ecology, spatial ecology, and human-wildlife interactions. Currently, my ongoing research projects involve identifying wolf-occupied areas in Gujarat to prioritize them for conservation efforts, monitoring the mugger crocodile population and their habitat in central Gujarat, assessing human-crocodile conflicts in Gujarat, and evaluating crop predation by herbivores in the Little Rann of Kutch.